Grate for sintering machines



P 25, 1 M. F. WARNER 2, 4,338

GRATE' FOR SINTERING MACHINES Filed Aug. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept.26, 1939. M, WARNER I 2,174,338

can]: FOR SINTERING MACHINES Filed Aug. 4) 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRATE FOR SINTERINGMACHINES Application August 4, 1938, Serial No. 223,108

6 Claims.

10 the sintering operation the surface of the grate is liable to becomeincrusted with material in process which becomes cemented by fume which,upon slight cooling, adheres to the surfaces of the parts and tends toobstruct the air passages. It is 15 essential that this obstructedincrustation shall be removed. If this incrustation is removed by hand,it results in annoying delay and expense, and accordingly provision hasheretofore been made in the prior art to supply a pallet designed 20 tobe self-cleaning, i. e., automatically remove such incrustation as thepallet passes through its dumping position and to a horizontal positionfor repeating the operation.

In the prior art constructions, grate bars have 25 been providedsupported on a carrier frame and provided with movable elements toperform the automatic cleaning operation. These have been too costlybecause of design; have been of faulty design; or, where sufiicient openarea for passage 30 of gaseous products has been provided, parts havebeen weak resulting in excessive warpage and breakage with resultingoperating troubles; or, where open area has been sacrificed forstrength, process difficulties have resulted, and

5 production capacity decreased because of that deficiency.

The object of the present invention is to provide a sintering machinewith a pallet in which the liability to warpage and breakage is greatly40 reduced, in which free area for passage of gaseous products isprovided, and in which the efficiency of the cleaning operation is notsacrificed. With this object in view, generally stated, the removableelements of the grate are placed 45 with and restrained by a basecasting in the form of a grid, which base casting is reenforced by a ribcast integral therewith and projecting downward therefrom. The grid isprovided with alternating transverse bars and openings, and

50 the reenforcing rib for the grid extends from end to end and belowthe grid, and independent or separate movable elements are placed in theopenings above the rib and are loosely retained in said openings betweenthe grid and carrier 55 frame of the machine so as to permit independentmovement of each movable element in the openings and at substantiallyright angles to the upper surface of the grid.

The inventive idea is capable of receiving a variety of mechanicalexpressions, some of which 5 for the purpose of illustrating theinvention, are shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is to beexpressly understood that such drawings are for the purpose ofillustration only and are not designed to define the limits of theinven- 10 tion, reference being had to the appended claims for thispurpose.

In said drawings- Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a carrierframe forming part of a pallet of a sintering machine and the gridssupported thereon, each grid having alternating transverse bars andopenings, and showing also one of the independent separate movableelements for placement in said openings;

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the grid;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In said drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like partsthroughout the several views, I is a carrier frame of the usual or anysuitable construction, such for example, as that employed in thewell-known Dwight & Lloyd sintering machine. As shown, this carrierframe has vertical side walls 2--2 and transverse members 33 connectingthe side walls 22, the whole frame travelling on wheels in the usualmanner in such constructions. 4 indicates cast grids, here shown asthree in number, each grid being provided with alternating transversebars 5-5 and openings 6--6 and a rib 1 extending from end to end of thegrid 4 beneath the bars 55 and openings 66 and cast integrally with 40the end walls of the grids 4 and with the transverse bars 55. At the endof each opening 6-5 the opening is cut away as at 6'. Each of the gridsis held in fixed position on the carrier frame by means of pins 8passing through the side walls of the frame and into the sunken portion9 at each end of each one of the grids. Located within each of theopenings 6-6 is a movable element ll] of such width as to leave a smallair space between the sides thereof and the walls of the opening, saidelement tapering from its full width at the upper portion inward anddownward, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. This element H1 is providedwith projecting lugs or parts it, one at each end, these lugs engage inthe cutaway portion 6' of the openings 66, with the surface of theelement I normally on a level with the upper surface of the grid, aswill be clearly understood from an inspection of Figs. 3 and .lugs[IV-HI do not fit tightly within the cutaway portions 6 of the openings6-6, but are of such dimensions as to leave the elements l0|0 free for alimited movement outward so that their surfaces project somewhat beyondthe surfaces of the transverse bars 5 as the pallet passes throughdumping position and onward therebeyond into a practically invertedposition. These outward movements of the independent movable elementsoccur from impact of the pallet in dumping under the action of gravityand eifect the cleaning operation. It will be readily seen that thereenforcing ribs being cast integrally'with the grids 4 and with thetransverse bars 55 thereof, provide a very efiective means of resistingany tendency to warpage and breakage, ,while'at, the same time said ribpasses beneath the openings 66 in the grid and beneaththe elements I0.These elements H) are preferablysomewhat cut away on their. under sides,as shown at l I in Fig. 4, to the end that the several elements may bereadily inserted in position in the, grid. Moreover, it will be 'seenthat inasmuch as these elements ID are separate and independent of eachother, any injury or damage to. one of these may be readily repaired byreplacing any damaged element with another like element.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the grid is,one-of exceptional strength; that liability to warpage and breakage isgreatly reduced, and that the cleaning operation, due to the independentmovable parts I0 is highly eificient. i

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: ,j

1. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets,-thecombination in said pallets of a bodily movable carrier frame, a fixedgrid supported on saidframe, said grid having alternating transversebars and openings, a reenforcing rib for the grid under andintegral withsaid bars and extending from'end to end of and below the grid, andmovable elements over said rib and within the openings in the'grid andretained in said openings between the grid and frame. i

2. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets, thecombination in said pallets of a bodily movable carrier frame, a fixedgrid supported on said frame, said grid having alternating transversebars and openings, the walls of the grid being undercut at the ends ofsaid openings, a reenforcing rib for the grid and extending from end toend of and below the grid, and separate movable elements above said riband within the openings in the grid and having end lugs entering theundercuts in the grid, whereby said elements are retained in saidopenings between the grid and frame.

3. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets, thecombination in said pallets of a bodily movable carrier frame havingside walls connected by a plurality of transverse members, fixed gridssupported on and extending from side to side of said frame, said gridshaving a plurality of alternating bars and openings extending in theline of movement of the frame, a reenforcing member under and integralwith said bars and extending from end to end of the grids, and barshaped members retained within said openings and capable of a limitedmovement at right angles to the surface of the grid.

4. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets, thecombination of a carrying frame having two oppositely disposed sidewalls connected by a plurality of transverse members, fixed gridssupported on said side walls and transverse members, a reenforcing ribextending beneath and from end to end of each grid, said grids having aplurality of alternating transverse bars and openings extending in theline of movement of the carrier frame, and elements within said openingsand having end lugs extending loosely between the under side of the gridand the said transverse framemembers.

5. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets, thecombination of a carrier frame, a grid extending from side to sidethereof,

said grid having a plurality of alternating transverse bars and openingsextending in the line of travel of the carrier frame, and movableelements in said openings, said movable elements having end lugsextending between the grid and the carrier frame.

6. In a sintering machine having a series of traveling pallets, a gridextending from side to side of the pallet and having a series ofalternating transverse bars and openings, a reenforcing rib extendingunder said bars and openings and integral with said bars, and aplurality of separate movable elements in said openings and extendingacross and above said rib and having at each end a part extendingbeneath the surface of the grid. 7

MUNROE F. WARNER.

